Simmons wins another US basketball award

Australian teenager Ben Simmons joins LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and other NBA stars as a Naismith trophy winner.

Australian teenager Ben Simmons

Australian teenager Ben Simmons (pic) joins LeBron James as a Naismith basketball trophy winner. (AAP)

Australian teenager Ben Simmons has confirmed his status as the best high school basketballer in the US with another major national award.

Simmons was named on Thursday as the Naismith Trophy Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Past winners include NBA greats LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Alonzo Mourning.

The award is named after Dr James Naismith, the creator of the basketball.

Earlier this week Simmons, who led his Montverde Academy in Florida to a 56-1 record, claimed another national award, the Morgan Wooten Player of the Year.

The 18-year-old, 206cm forward averaged 29 points, 12 rebounds and four assists per game for his school and will play for Louisiana State University during the 2015-16 college season.

The son of Melbourne Tigers NBL legend Dave Simmons, the teenager had a scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport in 2012 and the next year moved to Montverde, one of America's elite high school basketball programs.

Simmons is expected to play one year at LSU and then nominate for the NBA Draft, where he is a potential No.1 pick.


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Source: AAP


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